News

Briefing

Sydney is safer, but less fun
Sydney’s status as one of the great party cities is under threat, say local
business leaders, with some claiming that new licensing laws are turning it
into a ghost town.

In three years, footfall has fallen by as much as 84% in the Kings Cross,
Darlinghurst and Oxford Street districts. World-famous bars such as Hugos
Lounge are among 42 to have shut in Kings Cross alone since 2012. The
historic Flinders and Exchange hotels have also closed, as has the
McDonald’s.

In an article published on LinkedIn, Matt Barrie, one of Australia’s most
successful tech entrepreneurs, writes that a “succession of incompetent
governments” have “systematically dismantled the entire night-time economy”.
Under Sydney’s “lockout laws”, introduced in March 2014 in an attempt to
reduce alcohol-related crime, bars and clubs are not allowed to let new
customers enter after 1.30am and must close by 3am. Even